Chapter 11:

Meet Thy Faker

AKA My, Sonic, what big teeth you have…

Shadow the Hedgehog stood over the fallen creature and watched green eyes roll upwards under heavy lids. He glanced over it's body; a mass of muscle covered with dark blue fur and quills. It's breathing slowed and deepened as it succumbed to oblivion, presumably thanks to the tranquilliser dart lodged in it's rear.

There was something familiar about the creatures eyes. In the near distance, he heard the sounds of footsteps and voices shouting.

"He's down!" A voice yelled. "I repeat: Sonic the Hedgehog is down!"

Shadow looked down at the furry heap again. "Sonic…?"

"Approach with caution, all." The voice ordered.

He bent down to look closer at it's face. "Can it be..?"

Nose twitching, his sharp senses picked up a cool airy scent clinging to it's thick fur. There was also an underlying tang of machine grease. Sonic had always smelled of the wind and of battles with the Doctor. The unmistakeable aroma of chilli dogs was lingering on the creature's breath.

"It really is you, faker…."

"Oy lad, keep away! That's a vicious one!" The voice came again, closer now, and directed at Shadow.

"Then maybe.."

Ignoring the words of warning, Shadow placed the bag of groceries he had been carrying and dug his hand into dark blue head quills. He grasped at something concealed within and pulled it out. Aha! But his satisfaction fell into a frown the second he looked at it. What he had expected (well, more like desperately hoped) to find was a chaos emerald, one of the seven precious gemstones that channelled immeasurable powers, shining bright with clarity and raw energy. But the object he held answered to none of those descriptions. Sure it was the right shape and size but it was a dark grey in colour and Shadow could feel no vitality at all within it. What he held in his hands was nothing more than a fancy looking paperweight.

The dark furred hedgehog stood up and glared at the thing that was meant to be Sonic.

"This cannot be…? Are they all like this? What's happened to you?" He voiced his frustration quietly to his incapacitated rival, though he expected no answers from him at present.

"Hey you! Move away from the creature. Now!" The voice came from several metres behind him.

He took a step back, intending to leave the recumbent form of the Sonic thing exactly where it was. Leave the damn idiot be…don't get involved, he can handle himself… But an internal voice nagged at him.. he wouldn't leave you like this…plus he needed answers. Shadow let out a sigh and bent down to lift Sonic up.

"Don't you move!"

Shadow took a quick glance at the humans. Two of them had rifles pointed at him. Non-lethal he noted. Good; if a dart should hit him, he was confident it would have no effect (well it was actually more of a hope at this point). In normal circumstances he could out manoeuvre the humans instinctively with ease and without a second thought, possibly relishing in the satisfaction of getting one up over them. He supposed he would have used that emerald to just bend time and space around him and Sonic and teleport away from here. But circumstances as they were now, were far from normal to him. He would struggle eventually, he knew it. It was a risk helping Sonic. A big risk.

Closing his eyes briefly in concentration, Shadow channelled all his energy reserves through his body, down into his legs and feet. He felt his shoes breathe into life as they propelled him off the ground slightly.

"Don't make me regret this, faker." He muttered before speeding off into the dark forest ahead, darts zipping past him as he dodged them all.

Shadow slowed his pace as he moved through dense woodland. Searchlights blazed in the distance.

The whistling of air abused his ears, swallowing the sounds of rotting tree debris crunching under his feet. The deadweight he kept shifting between his arms threatened to knock him off balance every time he swerved to avoid a tree. Logs and ditches tried desperately to trip him over while his view was slightly impeded by the furry bulk hooked over his arms. Sweat licked his fur flat against his skin despite the vigorous cold wind, the body heat from Sonic (and the sheer effort of carrying him for so long) warming him up like a furnace.

After he was satisfied with the distance he had put between himself and his pursuers, he cut the power to his air shoes, resorting to a slow jog. He knew he would leave distinctive tracks for the police to follow but he had to preserve what was left of his rapidly dwindling chaos reserves before they completely diminished. He heard the rush of water ahead and pressed onwards in its direction.

He came to a stop by a narrow stream running along the foot of an incline and dumped the unconscious form and his bag on the ground then stretched his aching limbs. He let the cold wind wash over him while he steadied his ragged breathing. A heavenly shiver ran through his body, cooling him down, though frustration seared through him. He should not be feeling over exerted like this. He was the Ultimate Lifeform. Carrying Sonic, several times over, should not have been an issue for him. Whatever had happened to the chaos emeralds he was sure as hell going to find out what…and if that faker had something to do with it, then…

He glanced down at his blue counterpart and noticed the dart was still stuck in his rump. He had actually dropped his rival in such a manner as to almost send the dart further into his skin and snap off against the ground. He hadn't meant to be so careless. He pulled the dart out and hissed. That was probably going to leave a nasty mark…

Despite being so roughly plopped on the ground, Sonic was still out cold so Shadow tried splashing water from the stream onto his face. He didn't want to have to carry him all the way back to his hotel and he couldn't just leave him here so vulnerable.

"Wake up." Shadow ordered, giving furry shoulders a rough shake, but it did nothing. Sonic was well and truly out for the count.

His acute hearing picked up the sound of the police again, still far away but they were definitely hot on his trail. Shadow tried to lift Sonic again and his muscles cried out in objection. He was tempted to just drag him along the ground behind him as he ran, even knowing that it would just slow him down. Instead he reminded himself of why he was doing this and hoisted the hulking hedgehog over his arm once more and headed north along the stream rather than up the incline. He didn't particularly fancy the steep trek and going North would mean he could double back on himself in a round about way and find his route back to where he was residing. Plus actually running in the stream meant his footprints would be washed away.

As Shadow splashed through the icy water, an amusing thought occurred to him. He hadn't seen his rival for months yet the blue one had forced his way into his thoughts only days ago, granted, after catching him on that damn news report. Now, here he was, the hero having practically fallen at his feet, carrying him in his arms like precious cargo and saving his blue hide. The oddest thing about it, Shadow thought, was that despite his physical exhaustion, somewhere deep down inside he felt an unexpected thrill at interacting with Sonic again and it gave him a boost of energy which spurred him onwards.

Shadow slipped his gloves, phone, ID and hotel key into the bedside table drawer, checking to make sure his pistol was still carefully hidden at the back. He looked around for the small bag of groceries he'd been out to purchase that evening and cursed, realising he must have left it by the stream when he'd had put Sonic down for a bit. The bag had contained provisions for tonight and tomorrow. Now his very delayed dinner would consist of half a bag of nachos and a choice of whatever tea was left in the hotel's complimentary basket. He wouldn't chance sneaking down a couple of floors to the vending machines at this time. There would be too many people coming and going from their rooms. Not worth the risk just for more junk food or mealy protein bars. He huffed, mentally kicking himself and decided to run himself a bath while he waited for his chosen tea to brew.

He heard a whimper come from the bed under the only window in the room and switched on the light, thinking Sonic might have woken up. The blue heap of fluff was shaking but still unconscious, obviously having some sort of disturbing dream. Shadow caught a glimpse of the inflammation caused by the tranquilliser dart and tutted. Even under the thick dark pelt he could see redness where the dart had left a deep puncture. Two deep punctures. He felt a quick flash of rage but it was gone before he could wonder where it had come from.

Chaos knows why he decided to care but he tried his best to bring the swelling down. Using a spare glove soaked in the coldest water he could run from the bathroom sink tap, he pressed and wiped at the injury for a few seconds before his brain decided to remind him what his bare hand was touching. He flinched away in reflex, as if Sonic was suddenly made of fire and the wet glove dropped to the floor like a dead fish. Ridiculous, he scolded himself, it's just first aid. He shook his head and proceeded to apply some topical ointment, ignoring how deep his hand fell into the dark plush fur, finishing off by slapping a large bandaid over the wound and begging his brain to erase this moment completely from memory.

He sat on the edge of the bed for several minutes, wondering what the hell had happened to his life while he absent-mindedly watched Sonic's shoulders rise and fall with each slumbering breath, when the whimpering started up again. Vicious indeed…Shadow rolled his eyes. Just what had the speedster got himself into this time? No doubt it was connected to the current planetary disaster but just how bad was he? Those police had been pretty damn convinced he was dangerous but…really? The hero didn't have a bad bone in his body, Shadow knew that. He quickly threw a blanket over Sonic, hoping it would bring him some comfort from whatever bad dream he was having, and headed to the bathroom.

As he lay in deep scalding water, debating with himself whether or not to call his friend and teammate, Rouge, Shadow found his thoughts drifting back to Sonic and his encounters with the hero. For the most part he had found him to be dangerously impulsive, stubborn, far too optimistic and outspoken and down right irritating at times. Somehow the speedy rascal found ways to get under Shadow's skin like nobody else could. He wasn't sure why or even if it was a terribly bad thing. Regarding the banter between them, Shadow gave as good as he got from Sonic and he always walked away from their encounters feeling somehow lighter and more energised. He couldn't deny, life was a little more interesting when the hero was around. He really had missed the little blue pest more than he ever wanted to admit to. He let out a long sigh and immersed himself fully under the water, trying to wash away his thoughts and relax his mind. Tonight was going to be a long one…

Sonic's head was swarming with visions of police moving and shouting all around him, the sounds of orders being barked far too loudly. Then it melted into silent darkness and from that emerged strips of blood red, swirling and curling into a centre of garish violet as a familiar spiked figure stood at the edge of his vision and stared at him with purple eyes. Eventually the nightmares faded to emptiness and then there was the pain. The stiff, aching sensation that wracked his body from his neck downwards. And his head…oh it felt horrendous, dizziness and pain throwing waves of nausea down into his stomach. He heard himself groan. Smells came flooding to his nose; the earthy smell of dirt (probably himself since he felt really grungy) and something strong and bitter. Coffee he guessed.

His eyes flickered open and closed a few times before settling on being open. He was in a dim room, facing what appeared to be cream and pink floral fabric he assumed could only be curtains. He furrowed his brows at the quaint, unfamiliar decor and moved a heavy arm slowly and clumsily to pull them back slightly. A low light was creeping on the horizon underneath an otherwise dark sky and wherever he was right now seemed to be surrounded by fields and trees. The last time he remembered transforming was….oh no! Last night's memories slapped him with vengeance and he rolled over to face the rest of the room and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. There was a bedside table next to him, a wardrobe at the foot of the bed, a dresser against the left wall with an electric kettle on it and a small table and chair in the centre of the room. A mug of something steaming sat on the table. Looks like a hotel room of some sort, but who's …?

"Someone's been a bad boy."

Sonic recognised the voice before he even saw its owner. He sat up fast, which sent a fierce pain suddenly shooting through his backside like a skewer. Light was coming from a doorway at the far end of the room which silhouetted the familiar shape of The Ultimate Life-form.

"Shadow…?" Sonic croaked out. His throat felt rough and dry

Stepping into the room, the dark hedgehog tossed a newspaper at a confused Sonic.

"Explain yourself." Shadow commanded.

With a frown and a side glance at Shadow, Sonic unrolled the paper. The bold printed headline read: HERO TURNED MONSTER. SONIC THE HEDGEHOG TO BLAME FOR SERIES OF VIOLENT ATTACKS. What the heck?! He scrunched up the paper, leapt off the bed and advanced on very shaky legs towards the dark hedgehog.

"You! " Sonic barked, pointing a claw. "You did this! You framed me! Why?!"

Shadow stepped backwards, not taking his eyes off Sonic. He hadn't expected such irascible temper from the blue one and now that he could see Sonic's hulking stature in full he was a little bit awestruck. With taller pointed ears, a longer snout and sharp fangs cutting through a snarl instead of a playful grin, the hero looked very wolf-like. The complete opposite of the whimpering fur ball from last night. Lines from a specific fairy tale flashed through Shadow's mind.

The dark-furred hedgehog batted the claw away.

"I'm flattered but no," he replied. "That is not my doing. As you can clearly see I'm not the one who has turned into a great slobbering beast. Now what has happened to this?" He held up the rock he had taken from Sonic's quills.

"Where did you-?" Sonic whipped a hand to the back of his head, eyes almost popping out in disbelief as he realised Shadow had ransacked his person to steal the gem. He just lost it then; punching a fist into the wall right next to Shadow's head, sending a crack through the plaster, and grabbing onto the white tuft of chest fur with his other hand, pinning him against the wall. The hero was fuming. Frustration and humiliation and a killer headache boiling over in fury.

"Slobbering-!?" He exclaimed incredulously. "You've got some nerve-."

"Now I've lost my deposit." The agent stated irritably.

Sonic couldn't hold back the low growl in his throat but the GUN agent held an unwavering glower. Green daggers exchanged with blood red.

The werehog's fierce glare bore down upon him but Shadow refused to be intimidated despite the painful grip almost ripping out his fur. Despite Sonic's new fearsome size, strength and temper, he was confident he could take him on in a fight if it was necessary to bring the idiot down a peg or two. In fact, he could just call it in with GUN right now and let them deal with the police and this overgrown fluffball. He could just disappear again before they even got here…

One fierce snarl was met by another. With noses almost touching, each could feel the other's breath meet his own, warm air mingling between them.

Sonic saw it then…the flash of a challenge in the other's eyes and he was, just for a second, reminded of the times they had encountered each other in the past and ended up racing or brawling just for the thrill of it. He didn't back down though, even as he felt his rage dissolving. Even as he clocked a nasty looking split, that looked a couple of days old, on Shadow's lower lip and felt a tinge of sympathy for him. That was irrelevant when this jerk had the audacity to steal from him and then insult him. Wait a minute…surely Shadow should have already healed from an injury that small by now…?

Shadow noticed a flicker of something in Sonic's eyes. Something he couldn't quite place. How the hell had he let his rival get so close to him that he could see his own tired reflection in all those shades of green that were actually quite…striking? A trail of saliva escaped a fanged mouth and dribbled onto an otherwise pristine air shoe. The black and red hedgehog looked down at his shoes, slightly irked. He had spent nearly an hour polishing them up and scraping caked mud off the jets after his unforeseen woodland trek.

As the agent looked back up, a purple haze began to form around Sonic, accompanied by a hissing sound. It seemed to be coming from within him. Shadow tried to back away but his spikes were all but pressed flat against the wall behind him, As the purpleness dissipated, the shorter, more slimline figure of Sonic the Hedgehog, that Shadow knew well, was left in place of the snarling beast that had him pinned only seconds ago.

If Shadow was surprised, he didn't show it. Only giving the hero a hard and deliberate shove just as he sheepishly withdrew his hand from Shadow's chest. Sonic went tumbling backwards knocking into the table, spilling the contents of the mug and landing with a much too painful bump on his rear. Green and red eyes glowered at each other once more.

Thumping on the wall brought them both back to the present and a muffled "Keep it down in there it's not even seven in the morning for cripes sake!" came from the other side.

"Sorry," Sonic averted his glare from Shadow and held his hands up, "got carried away. It's been a long day. Or night. Or whatever."

His counterpart simply humphed in response so Sonic got up and proceeded to dust himself off. Well this is beyond awkward. Way to go drooling on the U.L. like that. Sonic internally planted his face on an imaginary desk.

By the time Sonic had lifted his head to look up at Shadow, the ebony hedgehog was tossing the chaos emerald with his left hand, his eyes locked onto Sonic's intensely.

"I'm only going to ask you one more time," he said, "what has happened to the chaos emeralds?"

The blue one sighed deeply, his cool expression relenting into something tired.

"It's a long story." Sonic replied with a sigh, rubbing at his temples, "do you have any paracetamol?"